1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a soybean protein product and method of producing the same, and in particular, to a soybean protein clotting enzyme which is utilized in the process of producing a soybean protein product, a method of producing the soybean protein clotting enzyme efficiently, and a method of making a soybean protein food product by use of a soybean protein clotting enzyme.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In recent years, a vegetable food has received great attention from many people having an increased concern about their health in view of the tendency for most of people to eat an excessive amount of animal foods or fats, which are the cause of such fatal diseases as heart disease, or arteriosclerosis.
Generally, most of the commonly available vegetable food products are artificially made from vegetable oils and fats, as quasi-vegetable foods, and as such, a pure vegetable food product is not available easily from local shops nowadays.
Among other vegetables, a soybean is, not to mention its high quality of vegetable protein, a major food that has long been utilized in a variety of food products, and is said to contain almost all essential nutrition for human health.
Study and development have been made in an attempt to use a soybean protein for production of a pure vegetable food. However, a difficulty has still remained in producing a fermented soybean protein food similar to a cheese which is made from milk. The reason is that a cheese is produced via a rennin enzyme which clots milk proteins, but nobody has hitherto discovered an enzyme capable of clotting the soybean proteins in a manner analogous to such rennin enzyme.